Jaguar Baseball Face ASU In Final Nonconference Game Of Season
The Jaguar baseball team will play their final non-conference game of the season when they travel to Montgomery this evening to face Alabama State.
First pitch is set for 6pm at Wheeler-Watkins Baseball Complex and the game will be broadcast on WNSP.com and 105.5 FM WNSP.
USA has won two of it’s last three games to improve their overall record to 19-24 though the Jags are 9-12 in road games this season including a three-game road losing streak.
USA will send righty Matt Sharp (0-0) to the mound in his first career start. He has allowed three runs on one hit with a strikeout and two walks in one inning of work in his only career appearance against Nicholls State on April 9.
ASU enters the game with a 33-16 record overall and coming off back-to-back wins last weekend against Jackson State. They have also won five of their last six games and are 18-7 at home this season.
USA holds a 10-1 record all-time against ASU dating back to 1987. Their only win came earlier in the season when the Hornets shutout the Jags 5-0 at Eddie Stanky Field.
Chloe Rathburn Named SBC Player of the Week
Chloe Rathburn, a freshman from Mission Viejo, California, leads the team with 30 RBI and slugging percentage at .511. | photo: usajaguars.com
South Alabama freshman Chloe Rathburn was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Monday for her performance over the last week.
She began by driving in the Jaguar’s only run against LSU in Baton Rouge on Wednesday then continued with five RBI and scoring three runs as she went 5-for-11 for a .455 batting average to help lead the Jaguars to a series sweep against the Hilltoppers.
Rathburn makes the sixth time a Jaguar has been honored this season in 11 voting periods. Her two-RBI double in the seventh inning propelled the Jaguars for the win in game one. She also hit a two-run homer in game two that would be the difference in game two as the Jaguars picked up a 6-4 win.
On Sunday, she drove in two runs in the third inning and later scored as she and the Jaguars finished the sweep with a 9-5 win.
She improved her team-leading RBI total to 30 and also raised her team-leading slugging percentage to .511.
The Jags will host Troy this weekend for a two game series to wrap up the regular season and head into the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the second seed.
South Alabama Sports – Weekend Rewind
Baseball
The Jaguar baseball team took two out of three games over the weekend to win the series against Louisiana-Monroe and to improve their record to 19-24 overall and 8-13 in conference play.
In the first game on Friday evening, the Jags used a four-run fourth inning to propel themselves past ULM by a 7-4 score. ULM took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning after a sacrifice fly scored the first run, then a two-out two-run homer supplied the other two runs.
In the bottom of the second inning the Jags plated their first run on a two-out double to right field by Garrett DeGallier which scored Hayden Jones from second base, he had reached base on a walk earlier in the inning.
The Jags tied the score in the bottom of the third inning after Davis Knapp hit a one-out single to left field. Then one batter later, Cole Gleason hit his first career home run over the left-center field wall.
Then the Jags took control with the four-run fourth inning that put the Jags up 7-3.
ULM’s only other run came in the top of the fifth inning with a solo home run over the left-center wall.
Locke St. John picked up the win to improve his record to 5-1. He allowed four runs on four hits with two strikeouts and an walk in 6 2/3 innings. Ben Taylor struck out four with one walk in 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief for this first career save.
The Jags clinched the series on Saturday with a 6-5 win at Eddie Stanky Field.
USA jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Davis Knapp lead off the inning with a single to left field. Cameron Cummings’ sacrifice bunt attempt was fielding by the pitcher but he threw it to center field trying to get the force out at second, which allowed Knapp to advance to third and Cummings to second. Cole Gleason then hit his second home run in as many games.
In the top of the fourth ULM scored their first run of the game after an error let the runner reach base. Then a two-out RBI double to left-center scored the lone run of the inning.
USA answered in the bottom of the fourth inning when Knapp reached on a one-out double to the left-center gap. Cummings advanced him to third on a groundout to second base then Gleason drove him in on an RBI single to left field.
The Jags led 6-4 in the top of the seventh as the Warhawks leadoff hitter reached base on a walk. Later he would score on an RBI single to left field to cut the Jaguar lead to one run. The Warhawks would load the bases later in the inning with a walk and a hit batter, but James Traylor would pitch his way out of the jam with a inning-ending flyout to right field that was caught near the warning track.
Kevin Hill picked up the win (3-5) in 5 1/3 inning of work with three earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and three walks. James Traylor pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings with two strikeouts for his third save of the season.
USA then tried for the weekend sweep. With the Jags down by three runs in the bottom of the ninth, Knapp led off the inning with a double to left field. He then moved to third on a single to center field by Cummings. Matt Wojciechowski then walked to load the bases with no outs. Haydent Jones then delivered a bases-loaded two-run single through the left side of the infield to get within one run of the Warhawks.
Connor Hawthorne would draw a walk to load the bases again then DeGallier then hit a fly to left field which scored JOnes to tie the game at 7 heading into extra innings.
ULM would break the tie in the top of the 11th after a two-out fielding error by shortshot Drew LaBounty allowed the runner to score. The Jags was unable to even the score in the bottom half of the inning.
Softball
The 20th ranked Jaguar softball team swept the weekend series against Western Kentucky to improve their record to 37-10 overall and 14-5 in conference play and clinched the #2 seed in the 2014 SBC Tournament which is quickly approaching.
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Jaguar Student-Athletes Honored At 5th Annual Pete Tolbert Night Of Champions
Several student-athletes were honored during the Fifth Annual Pete Tolbert Night of Champions, the athletic department’s event to honor the achievements of nearly 400 individuals on Thursday evening.
Junior pitcher Farish Beard of Fairhope, Alabama and senior quarterback Ross Metheny of Stephens City, Virginia were name the female and male Student-Athletes of the Year. This honors the most outstanding individuals based on scholarship, athletic ability and citizenship.
Along with Beard, Hannah Campbell and Kaitlyn Griffith were also honored from the softball team. Metheny was joined by teammates Trey Fetner, Bryson James and Alex Page from the football team. Noelle Jones, Garrett Schumacher and Derek Westbrook were honored from the Track and Field teams.
Several others were honored including just to name a few: Caroline Beebe, Mechell Daniel, Nini Rabsatt-Smith, Sharmyn Wall, Matt Bolger, Brandon Bridge, Robby Campbell, Michelena D’Alonzo and Kristin Parry.
Beard has recorded better than a 3.2 GPA in two-plus years at USA. This season she has a 18-5 record, a 0.99 ERA, 174 strikeouts in 127.1 innings and ranks in the top 20 nationally in four statistical categories.
Metheny has a 4.0 GPA and is working on his master’s degree in educational leadership. Last season he led the Sun Belt Conferecne in total offense per game with 269 yards, ranked in the top 10 in the conference in three other categories and finished in the top 50 nationally in total offense, pass efficiency rating, and passing yards. He was also selected to the second-team All-SBC team.
A full rundown off all the awards and their recipients can be found here.
Also, 56 current and former student-athletes were recognized as they will graduate at the end of the semester.
Congratulations Jaguars!
South Alabama Sports – Weekend Preview
Baseball
South Alabama will host Louisiana-Monroe this weekend for a three-game Sun Belt series at Eddie Stanky Field. They will get underway tonight at 6:30pm with Locke St. John (4-1) taking the mound for the Jaguars in his 11th start of the season. Payton Coddou (0-2) will make only his third start of the season for the Warhawks.
Game two will start at 6:30pm on Saturday with Kevin Hill (2-5) making his ninth start of the season. Then Hunter Soleymani (0-2) will get the start in the series finale on Sunday.
USA is in the midst of a three game losing streak as they have fallen to 17-23 overall and 7-10 in conference play. The Jags are currently holding onto a tie for sixth place in the Sun Belt Conference standings. They are tied with their in-state rivals Troy and two games back from Western Kentucky and UT-Arlington who are tied for fourth place with a 9-9 conference record.
All three games will be broadcast on 105.5FM WNSP and streamed online on WNSP.com.
Softball
The 20th ranked Jaguar softball team look to return to their early season form as they play down the home stretch going into the Sun Belt Conference Championships that begin on May 7.
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USA Softball Falls To LSU 6-1In Baton Rouge
The 20th ranked Jaguar softball team fell to LSU in Baton Rouge Wednesday night by a score of 6-1 in their final non-conference game of the regular season.
The five run margin marks the worst loss of the season as they fall to 34-10 overall and have now lost seven of their last 12 games.
LSU (28-20) outhit the Jaguars 7-3 with both teams committing an error. The only Jaguar run came on Chloe Rathburn’s sacrifice fly to score pinch runner Gwen Jones in the fourth inning.
Freshman Holly McKinnon got the start for the Jags, only her third of the season. She allowed four earned runs on four hits and six walks while striking out two in four innings of work. This was her first recorded loss of the season.
Senior Hannah Campbell came in for relief and allowed two unearned runs on three hits but hit four batters in two innings of relief.
LSU got on the board early after McKinnon walked the first four batters she faced. Then a sacrifice fly would score another run. Then a two-out RBI double would score the third run of the inning as LSU led 3-0 after one.
The Jags plated their only run in the top of the fourth but LSU would respond in the bottom half of the inning on another two-out RBI double.
Two more runs would be put on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Kaitlyn Griffith mishandled Taylor Rodgers’ flip to second that would have been the second out of the inning. But a two-out single to third would score the pinch runner then another single to left center would score the final run.
The Jags will travel to Western Kentucky for a three-game weekend series on Saturday and Sunday as they play their final regular season road series of the year.
USA Men’s Golf Fall One Stroke Shy In SBC Championships
Photo: Mike Kittrell al.com
The South Alabama Jaguars men’s golf team shot an 8-under par 280 as a group in the final round of the Sun Belt Championships to have the low round of the tournament and finish second in the team standings.
Senior Blake Kelley led the team with a season-best 4-under 68 with Lane Hulse and Tyler Klava both shooting 2-under 70’s. Ryan Pope added an even-par round of 72 while Michael Garretson shot a 74 as the Jags shot an even-par 864 over three days.
The Jags fell just one shot short of tying Georgia State, who shot a 287 on the final day and a three-day total of 863 to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship by one stroke. They also earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals next month.
Texas State’s Stuart Smallwood finished with a 54 hole score of 208 for an 8-under total to take the top spot in the individuals. Klava finished tied for second, three strokes behind while Hulse also recorded a top-10 finish with a tie for 10th. Kelley finished tied for 14th with a three-round score of 220.
The 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship selections will be announced live via the Golf Channel on Monday, May 5 from 9-10 CDT during the Morning Drive. She show will also be streamed online on the Golf Channel website and will then be posted on the NCAA website.
20th Ranks USA Softball Faces LSU In Baton Rouge This Evening
The #20 ranked South Alabama softball team will travel to Baton Rouge for a game against LSU at Tiger Park. They defeated the then 21st ranked Tigers on February 15 by a score of 2-1.
This is the Jaguars final non-conference game of the season where they have a record of 23-4 against non-conference foes this season. They also have a 3-1 record against SEC schools this season.
Stephanie Pilkington leads the Jags at the plate with a .340 batting average with a team-leading 48 hits. She also drove in both of the Jaguars runs against the Tigers in USA’s win back in February.
Amanda Minahan is second on the team in batting average as she is hitting .298 with a .500 slugging percentage. Kaitlyn Griffith is third with an average of .288 as she is currently ranked eighth in the nation in hit by pitch per game at .049. She also leads the team in on-base percentage at .441.
Hannah Campbell is fourth in the NCAA rankings with an ERA of 0.84, sixth in walks allowed per seven innings and ninth in the country in saves with 4. Farish Beard ranks seventh in the nation in ERA with a 0.99, ranks third in the nation in hits allowed per seven innings with 3.02 average and ranks 11th in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings with 9.6.
Live play-by-play audio can be heard as part of Jaguar All-Access.
USA Baseball Falls To Auburn 6-1
The South Alabama baseball team fell to Auburn by a score of 6-1.
The Jags (17-23) had a 1-0 lead through four-and-a-half innings after scoring on a wild pitch in the first inning. Jared Gates worked himself out of a jam in the bottom of the fourth but walked the leadoff batter to start the bottom of the fifth. He would eventually get to third base with two outs before three-consecutive two-out RBI doubles would give the Tigers a 3-1 lead.
In the sixth, the Tigers would two more runs on a one-out RBI single to right field and a two-out RBI single to right field to take a 5-1 lead.
The final run of the game came in the bottom of the seventh after a leadoff single before the runner would eventually score on a wild pitch by USA’s Matt Peacock.
The Jags will return home to host Louisiana-Monroe over the weekend for a three-game SBC series at Eddie Stanky Field.
Hulse Leads USA In Second Round at SBC Championships
Photo: Mike Kittrell al.com
The second round of the Sun Belt Conference men’s golf championships is in the books and the third and final round is today to determine the champions.
Yesterday Lane Hulse led the Jaguars with a 1-under par 71 while Michael Garretson carded an even-par 72 after the two combined to shoot 9-over par in Monday’s first round. Tyler Klava shot a 1-over 73, Ryan Pope improved four strokes over his first round with a 3-over 75, and Blake Kelley shot an 80 as the Jaguar team posted a 291 team score for a 36 hole score of 584.
USA is still in third place trailing Georgia State by eight strokes and also trailing second place Texas-Arlington by six strokes.
Klava continues to lead the Jaguars in the individual with a 3-under par 141 through two rounds. He continues to be tied for third place among the 50 individuals in the field. Through 12 holes on Tuesday he was sitting at 3-over with only one birdie so far coming on the 3rd hole. But he closed the round with three birdies including back-to-back birdies at holes 13 and 14.
Garretson began with two pars before making birdie at the third. Two holes later he would go to 3-under with an eagle at the 5th. He would make the turn at 2-under with birdies coming on the 10th and 15th holes.
Texas State’s Stuart Smallwood carded another 4-under round for a two-day total 8-under par for the championship. He leads the pack by four shots.
The third and final round gets underway at 7:30am today.